For years, many people were begging Apple to release a Mac with a touchscreen. However, Apple has chosen not to develop and release such a product. In 2010, Steve Jobs further explained: “Touchscreens don’t want to be vertical. It’s ergonomically terrible. Touchscreens want to be horizontal hence trackpads.” Apple has offered multi-touch technology via the trackpad since the original MacBook Air in 2008.
However, it seems like Apple is reversing course on this philosophy. According to Mark Gurman, Apple is developing touchscreens for Macs, and the upcoming MacBook Pro with an OLED display could be the first touchscreen Mac that will launch in 2025. The notebook will retain the traditional laptop design with the keyboard and trackpad, but the display will support touch input similar to an iPad.
My take on this would be: if it ain’t broke, why not fix it? Plus, if you want to add a touchscreen to a Mac, then the use of that technology has to be something meaningful for users. I’ve seen several Windows laptops that have touchscreen devices such as Microsoft’s Surface Laptop. I even have had one, but I have never really interacted with the touchscreen because I always find the keyboard/trackpad solution much more intuitive. However, it would be cool if Apple introduces an iPad Pro that could run macOS. After all, today’s iPad Pro sports the same M2 chip as that of the MacBook Air. Therefore, taking that approach would make the iPad even more versatile than ever without sacrificing any ergonomics when interacting with the touch surface.
What do you think about a touchscreen Mac? Would you rather have an iPad for the “true” multitouch experience? Let us know in the comments below.
